Nobody Lives Without Love
by Hey It's That Guy
Summary: Things seem to be looking well Danny and Star. They're in love, school's out for summer, ghost activity is down. They couldn't ask for more. However, Technus and Skulker have formed a plan to eliminate the hero of Amity Park once and for all. Add in a human/ghost/scorpion hybrid Paulina, a god of creation, and a god of death and the results may end more than just Danny Phantom.
1. Revival

**So, here we are. The long awaited sequel to Echoes. I'm very sorry this has taken so long. I've been working on other projects, and on the side I kept trying to figure out a plot that I liked for this. But each time I'd start to get something down, I decided that I hated it and started over. I refuse to publish something that I hate, I care about the fans too much. If I like it, but you all think it sucked, then it was a miss. If I hate it, then I'm just a plain sorry ass. So, this first chapter won't be super long, but it's going to serve as a set up. Oh, and this story is going to be darker. Not just a big fluff-fest like Echoes.**

**This one is going to dive deep into a place not seen before in the Danny Phantom section. To my knowledge at least. So, onwards.**

The area around them was dark, darker than dark, to be honest. This place was on the very edges of the Ghost Zone, a place that no one ever went. It wasn't exactly dangerous, but much like Clockwork's Tower, it was kind of an unspoken rule that this area was a non-aggression space. _No one_, not even Pariah Dark, would dare to bring conflict here. The being that ruled over this domain was one that nobody ever tried to cross, at least that was the general idea. If anyone had ever caused the being problems, intentionally, they weren't around to talk about it.

The larger of the two ghosts, Skulker, eyed his partner with a small amount of concern. "Are you sure this is a good idea? If we're denied what we ask he might see fit to wipe us from existence."

Technus continued to walk through the cavern they had sought out, not slowing in the slightest. Thrown upon his shoulder was a body, but the weight didn't bother him. "If you want to back out you are free to do so. I, however, have had enough of that blasted ghost child ruining my plans. I'm going through with this, consequences be damned." He looked over at the hunter for a moment, before his gaze turned forward again. "As I explained to you before, I'm done playing nice with that irritating hero. We've constantly played by his rules, but no longer."

Skulker nodded, thinking of all the times that Danny Phantom managed to stop a ghost from taking control over Amity Park. Perhaps a different move here, or distracting the boy with a few citizens in danger of dying. Past plans and tactics couldn't be changed, but as Technus said, it was time to play by their own rules. What they were planning could very well tip the scales in favor of the duo, and the ghosts against the halfa in general.

Of course, some sacrifices would have to be made. In the name of progress their always were.

They finally reached the end of the cavern, where a large purple door rested within the stone, and the symbol for infinity upon it glowing green within the darkness. Skulker raised his mechanical hand to knock, but the door opened before he could. It would seem that the being inside was at least willing to speak with the duo. That was almost as rare as being personally invited into Clockwork's Tower to speak with the master of time himself. Without needing to be told they walked through, not knowing what they would find within. While everyone, or at least a large amount, within the Ghost Zone knew of this being, no one ever spoke of what was beyond the realm door.

"Why are you here? It has been some time since I last had visitors, much less ones in possession of a corpse from the Human World." The being was partially shadowed, only his high tops and jeans were currently visible. Though it was obvious that he was sitting in a Lazy-Boy or similar brand recliner, a hand upon his chin, but no details other than that.

Technus dropped the corpse onto the floor without care, then he and his companion both knelt and bowed their heads. "Creator of the Ghost Zone, we humbly ask of you to lend us aid in the form of a favor that we feel only one of your power could properly achieve." None of his usual loudness or over-the-top antics came out at the moment. Not around the being that created the Zone. He was not one to be trifled with, and would most likely not appreciate needless stupidity.

The Creator eyed him silently for a moment, causing the two kneeling ghosts to feel a small amount of panic build. The Creator tilted his head then, "What kind of a favor are you looking for? To seek out one such as me, well, you must have something grand in mind."

Skulker reached into one of his numerous compartments in his armor and pulled out two vials. One was filled with ectoplasmic blood, while the other had a dead scorpion inside it. "We ask that you combine this ghost blood with the essence of this scorpion." The hunter gestured towards the corpse then, "And merge the spiritual and genetic mixture with this body. Lastly, we would ask that you raise her from the dead."

While they expected a few things, amused chuckling was not one of them. The Creator leaned forward, the very small amount of light revealing tanned skin and black fingernails, "Well that's a new one for sure. No one has ever asked me to dabble in such experimentation before. What you are asking for pushes the very limits of science and the supernatural. However," His fingers lightly tapped the arm of the recliner, "Such a favor would require an equally worthy return."

"I will collect in due time, for now," He stood, entering the light fully, "Let us get started. I can only imagine the legends that may be told from your foolishness." For being the Creator of the Ghost Zone, he looked remarkably normal. He didn't even have glowing eyes like the spectral residents of his dimension. Short auburn hair, blue eyes, a white t-shirt, jeans, and gray high-tops. He actually looked like a college student, but being the Creator, the duo didn't dare comment on his looks.

Their plan to destroy Danny Phantom would finally come to fruition, though of the duo only Skulker had the thought that this may come back to bite them in the end. The Creator would not grant such favors without reason, and he could only wonder what price would be paid to the all-mighty being.

Technus had done a fine job of convincing him though, with fantasies of all the pelts and trophies that he could acquire, while the sunglasses wearing ghost would get to rule the Human World. With the added bonus to both ghosts that drove them deep down: The death and complete eradication of Danny Phantom. Of course, once they were finished here, phase 1 of the plan required several things. Being the great hunter that he claimed to be, Skulker would track these things down and secure them.

First, to seek out his ex-girlfriend Ember.

**And that's that for the first chapter of Nobody Lives Without Love. Yeah, there was no Danny or Star, but I wanted to set up the villains and hint at their agenda first. Anyone care to make a guess?**


	2. Changes

"_I can only imagine what goes through someone's mind to think such things are necessary. They say the way to hell is paved with good intentions, but in light of everything I believe hell is found with only the worst of intentions."_

_-Entry from the diary of Star Thompson_

It had been six months since Danny Fenton and Star Thompson began their relationship, and now two weeks into summer vacation they couldn't be happier. In those six months Danny had been introduced to Star's father Jeremy and gotten to know him enough that the halfa was welcome in the man's home to visit the blonde girl. Of course he was expected to follow any rules Jeremy set forth, and they weren't allowed to have the door closed if they were in Star's room. The half-ghost didn't have a problem with any of that, and so maintained a nice standing in the man's book.

For Star, although the introduction and warming up to Jack and Maddie Fenton was at first a slow, sometimes awkward, affair, the ghost hunting adults grew to love the girl as if she were a Fenton. It helped that the former A-lister brought Mr. Fenton fudge from time to time, which always put a smile on the large man's face. Mrs. Fenton was happy to see that, despite the way the girl had admitted to once behaving in school for the sake of popularity, that the blonde made the choice to be with someone she cared for regardless of what others thought. Star made her Daniel happy and treated him like a girlfriend should, and that was enough for the matriarch of the Fenton family.

The duo themselves had gone through some growing during those six months, as a couple and individuals. Encouraged by Danny to find something that she enjoyed and work towards possibly making a career out of it, Star had taken up photography two months into their relationship. The interest in the subject began after seeing some really nice landscape photographs hung upon the wall in one of the poetry cafes. Intrigued, Star bought a good camera set to start out and see how she would do.

At first she wasn't too sure if the pictures that she were taking really had any value. Sure they looked nice, but not having much knowledge in the field of photography gave her doubts. Danny put those doubts to rest. Though the hero was also not an expert, he gave her his completely honest opinions whenever she would show him photos she had shot. Some were good, some were average, and some were excellent. Her loving boyfriend further encouraged her to continue with her choice of a hobby/potential career, saying that while her works might be considered amateur by some, the only way to go would be up and that she should keep at it.

His words touched her heart, and so she indeed kept working at it. By the end of the school year she was working for the school newspaper, had made some money selling some of her better photos, and even managed to speak with the head of the Amity Park Review, the town's newspaper company. The man had looked at photos, and told her that if she continued to improve as she went through school and was interested in a position once she graduated, to come visit again with her updated portfolio.

All in all, Star felt that her life increasingly improved since becoming Danny Fenton's girlfriend. And she would keep working hard to show everyone that she was as intelligent as she was beautiful.

As for Danny, the biggest change for him was that after three months of being with Star, he revealed his alter-ego of Danny Phantom to her. He loved her with all his heart, and firmly believed that she could be trusted with the information. Plus, it never hurt to have an extra pair of eyes and ears around when he went on patrol to keep the town safe. Imagine his shock when Star wasn't really all that surprised by the revelation. She said it explained why he was sometimes so tired during the day, or why she would occasionally spot bruises on him. Plus, as she mentioned to him, "_If you look at your picture, and a picture of Danny Phantom, it's pretty obvious you're the same person._" That had gotten a good laugh between the couple.

While he encouraged Star to take up photography, she had helped him find something he was good at and found enjoyment in. Growing up he'd always dreamed of being an astronaut and working for NASA, but a suggestion from the blonde had him trying his hand, literally and figuratively, at writing. He had a vivid imagination and was more intelligent than he let on to those that weren't close, and so he started writing a handful of short stories and even dabbled in online fanfiction. Some of his creations were average, and some were really, really good if what people online and his friends told him.

In fact, Danny had decided to start writing up a rough outline and storyline for a book. With websites that helped out people just starting in the field of being an author available, the hero figured that it wouldn't hurt to eventually put a completed book up for sale and see if anyone liked it or was interested. So far he only had a couple of characters thought up and a vague plot; America has been invaded be Communist forces and must overcome the enemy, all while soldiers and civilians alike start to develop superpower-like abilities, causing some to question if it's their obligation to join the fight and defend their country.

Yeah, it wasn't really the greatest thing he'd thought of, but with crappy things like Twilight and The Hunger Games becoming insanely popular, for all he knew the finished book could turn into a hit. After all, wasn't Hunger Games just a rip off of Battle Royale, Gladiator, and The Running Man? Eh, but I digress. Wait, _I_? Better get out of here before Danny kicks my ass.

_Anyway_, so it was obvious to both teens that they had been having a great six months. The best kinds of relationships, after all, are the ones where both partners support and encourage each other to strive for success.

Team Phantom, with new member Star, had found it rather odd however, that recently ghost activity had begun to go down. Danny was happy and relieved, but Star and Sam both told him he shouldn't let his guard down. Any one of his numerous enemies could be using the lull in ghost attacks to plan some horrific scheme, or some new enemy he'd yet to encounter could be just around the corner. Thinking of how Pariah Dark had done just that, and nearly killed him, Danny took their words seriously and kept up his patrols, even when they ended up being a slow night with only someone like the Lunch Lady or Youngblood.

Little did Team Phantom know that possibly the greatest threat ever would hit soon, and hit hard.

**Elsewhere**

Her hands and arms would not stop their trembling. Looking around she eyed the apartment she'd broken into after wandering aimlessly in a daze for an hour. It was terrible; stains all over the walls, trash on the floor, furniture that looked ready to fall apart, etc. While a lot of Amity Park was in great condition, mostly the newer parts, this part of the city had been around since the 70s. The mayor in office before Vlad Masters came along had not cared enough about the handful of neighborhoods to put money towards renovating them, instead choosing to spend tax dollars on entirely new homes and businesses. Being in some of these old, worn down places made a person feel as if they had suddenly ended up in Detroit. But not the cool Detroit from Robocop, more like the hell hole it was in real life.

Her memories of the last few days were partially blurred. She remembered going to the soup kitchen for her daily meal, then afterwards trying to find some place to settle down and prepare for nighttime. Without warning something had struck into her chest and out her back, her world turning black before she had even hit the ground. In that one second before the darkness took her, the pain had been beyond agonizing.

Emotions swelled within her and panic started to rise. She'd been shot! Someone had tried to kill her, or…did they actually succeed? Curling in on herself Paulina stumbled backwards towards one of the living room walls. Her head felt wrong, so clouded with anger, fear, confusion, and sorrow. Even though she had felt nothing prior to entering this apartment, it seemed as if the memories of the last thing she could remember caused her chest and back to erupt in terrible pain. Her body felt like a fire had just ignited within, and curling inward as she was, the Latina saw a ring of black light appear around her stomach.

The light split in two, going up and down her body, causing her to physically change when the lights had reached the top of her head and the bottom of her feet. Such a sight frightened her greatly, her legs feeling weak suddenly, and causing her to stumble more. Paulina crashed into a vanity that had seen better days, her elbow slamming into the mirror on accident. She felt no pain, despite the fact that the glass now had a large web of cracks in it from where her strike made contact. With effort she finally stood straight, finding herself in front of another mirror. This one was a full-length, placed next to the vanity most likely to see how someone looked in whatever outfit they chose that day.

The person looking back was not Paulina Sanchez. At least, the teen hoped it wasn't. Instead of the dark tan her skin normally looked like, all the skin she could see was white as paper. If she didn't know any better she'd think she were one of the ghosts that regularly terrorized the town. Her skin also had changed physically. Unlike the smooth skin she'd always had, every inch of her body that she could see was covered in tough looking scales, like a snake or a scorpion. It was deeply disturbing, and the shock of it felt almost like terrifying panic. Her once black colored eyes had drastically changed also. The white of her eyes had turned black, while the iris was an electric yellow. Her teeth had become razor sharp as well, poking one with her tongue had hurt for a second, so she did her best to keep her now greyish lips closed.

The last physical change was the most startling one. Swaying lightly behind her was a _tail_ that too was covered in scales. It looked to be around six feet long, with small spikey protrusions running down the top, before ending in a deadly looking, pointed stinger that looked more stone-like than flesh. She had no idea how it was moving, certainly not because she wanted it to, so perhaps her raging emotions, pounding heart, and erratic mind were causing the appendage to move on instinct.

These changes were so drastic and sudden Paulina thought she was going to have a stroke or a heart attack. Looking into the mirror again, she saw a huge blood stain on her shirt that matched where her memory showed having been shot. Her jeans, though not covered in blood, were in just as bad of shape. They were being help up with an old, wore out belt, being two sizes too big, and several holes had been torn in the material, showing scaly, white flesh underneath.

In a fit of rage, having been reminded once more of her poverty status that had begun five months ago, Paulina struck the full-length mirror with all her might. The glass shattered as easily as a blade of grass were cut, her fist going through and out the other side of the object. Yanking her arm back she was surprised to see not a scratch on her. Whatever had happened seemed to have turned her into something very powerful. Looking down at her ruined clothes, her mind began to work.

Ripping the shirt in half and tossing it away, followed by her worn jeans and tattered shoes, the Hispanic girl went into the only bedroom looking for something to wear. It seemed luck was on her side. White denim jeans in her size went on, followed by a red tank top, and black boots. The boots weren't her style, but they were in decent shape, and after living in low-class poverty for five months she was not going to complain. Interestingly, while looking for a shirt she'd noticed in _another_ mirror that the spiked ridges along her tail traveled up her back, ending just at her shoulders. Odd, but they looked tough, so she hoped that it would protect her if someone or something tried to attack her from behind.

The former Queen of Casper High didn't really understand what was happening, but perhaps she had somehow been turned into a part-human, part-ghost, part-scorpion…_thing_. It hurt to call herself a thing in all honesty, but there wasn't really any other word for it right now. She was frightened, confused, and angry, and her mind coped the best way it knew; shut down and just go with things. Yet, within her mind an idea started to form.

The last five months had been absolute _hell_ for the girl. After the school dance where she had been beat for the top spot by Star, the police had suddenly come to her home about two weeks after and arrested her father. They said that they had evidence he had been embezzling money from the company he worked for, _Silas Industries_, and selling corporate secrets to rivals. Her father had denied ever doing any such thing on either charge, but an investigation went on. In the month after, all the bank accounts their family had, and the money her mother had left in an account for them through her will, had been seized by the bank on the order of the District Attorney.

Paulina couldn't believe what was happening at the time. She didn't think any of it was true, no matter what evidence they had she truly believed her father to be a good man and a hard worker. Yet, no matter what she thought, the adults did what _they_ thought was best. Tragically, her father could not deal with the turmoil he was being put through, and shot himself one night after drinking an entire bottle of hard liquor. Without even offering her any condolences or words of strength, the District Attorney still pushed forward with his case against her father.

In the end, all the money that had been seized was given to the bank, the house had been taken and sold, along with everything within, and Paulina was told she would not receive any type of benefits or help from _Silas Industries_ on account of her father's actions. After all was said and done, Paulina Sanchez had been left penniless, homeless, and with just the clothes on her back. Word of everything that happened had gotten around at school, and suddenly she went from being the Queen of the A-listers, to being worth less than Danny Fenton and his group of friends. Whether it was judging stares, as is _she_ had done something criminal, or people pointing and laughing at her misfortune, everyone had turned on her. The ridicule from Dash had hurt her emotionally the worst.

Unable to handle things emotionally or mentally, Paulina had dropped out of school and struggled to adjust to a life as a homeless teen. That was five months ago. Now, with these strange, but almost welcoming changes, she would make everyone that had put her in this vulnerable position pay, and pay _dearly_.

**Hey guys, I hope you liked the chapter. Sorry there wasn't any dialogue between Danny and Star, but I felt that for their first appearance I wanted to just go for doing some info and building them up a little. Next time we see them they will have dialogue and it will be them in the flesh, so to speak.**

**Pretty dark turn for Paulina, but yes, she was the dead girl from the first chapter that Technus and Skulker had revived. I wonder, perhaps they had a reason for doing so? We'll have to see won't we?**


	3. Feel The Noise

**Let's see what's going to happen now, since several players have already started making their move.**

"_There's a big difference between ruling the world and destroying everything in sight. I considered myself part of the former, but after what happened I just want to live my afterlife peacefully."_

_-Note written on sheet music signed Ember_

Having broken up with him several weeks ago, rock princess Ember McLain hoped to not see Skulker for quite some time. For her that meant at least six months to a year minimum, but the hunter obviously had other ideas of what '_We're through_' meant. The rocker had been enjoying some peace and quiet at one of the music stores within Amity Park, luckily being left alone by the irritating Ghost Boy, when the other ghost had walked in and made a beeline straight for her.

Setting down the record she was looking at, the diva crossed her arms and glared harshly, "Maybe I wasn't clear enough last time Skulker, but We. Are. Through. All you care about is hunting and getting more trophies, and I refuse to be put aside in favor of your unrealistic habits."

Skulker's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, obviously offended by her remarks. However, he wasn't here to get her back, or to argue about what happened in the past. He was here for one thing and he wasn't leaving until he got it. "I have need of your guitar Ember. I would suggest you hand it over so that I may be on my way." Knowing the chance of her agreeing without a struggle was low, he started charging up an ectoblast behind his back.

One of her teal eyebrows rose in disbelief. He couldn't be serious, and if he was he must have finally gone crazy. There was no way she would part with her guitar. It was a part of her as a person, as a ghost, and music was her one true passion in both life and afterlife. "You must've lost what little brains you had in a fight with the dipstick or something. I'd never give my guitar away unless there was a _really_ good reason, and even then I'd never give it to _you_."

Skulker nodded easily, "I figured as much. We'll do this the fun way then." Bringing his arm around quickly, the ghost hunter fired his charged up ectoblast point-blank into the rocker's face. She was sent flying into a shelf of CDs with a pained cry, the shelf crumbling under the impact and falling back onto the floor. A normal blast from Skulker, when he wasn't using one of the many weapons within his arsenal, wasn't that strong and didn't really do much against a ghost as powerful as Ember. Like all ghosts however, if he charged a blast like he had done it could do serious damage to someone like Fright Knight, Ember, or Desiree.

Normally the hunter would pipe off with some kind of mocking banter, however Technus had stressed the urgency of obtaining his ex's instrument, especially in the chance that the Ghost Child might show up and ruin things. Technus had been extremely interested in the guitar after Skulker mentioned that it was indestructible and had never once even been _scratched_ during battles with Phantom. Whatever material it was made of would be invaluable for their plan, and with Ember virtually powerless, they would have one less potential obstacle to deal with.

The flame-haired ghost diva was just getting to her feet when Skulker struck her across the face with his gauntlet covered fist, disorientating her long enough for the hunter to grab her flaming pony-tail and swing her into another shelf, then slam her into a large TV that had been playing music videos. The rocker was taken completely off guard by the consecutive attacks, and though being thrown into the shelves didn't hurt too much, it kept knocking the wind out of her. The larger ghost let go of her hair and grabbed her purple and teal guitar. Just as Ember managed to stand on her two feet Skulker swung the instrument into her face as hard as he could.

Ember was sent flying through several counters with music upon them, skidding along the floor of the store all the way to the back wall. That had hurt a lot, both physically and to her pride. It wasn't often an enemy could get ahold of her guitar, much less use it against her. Plus, a physical strike from her instrument hurt quite a bit, being it was made out of a super durable material that even she didn't know the origin of. When she was alive it had been just a regular electric guitar she had bought from a music store, but after her early death it turned into something beyond that.

She tried to stand up, but Skulker grabbed ahold of her and wrapped a steel cord around her neck. With his strength-enhancing suit the hunter began pulling the cord as hard as he could, the steel biting down into Ember's neck easily, choking her and causing excruciating pain. The few humans who had remained within the store were completely shocked by the absolute brutality shown by the so-called 'Greatest Hunter in the Ghost Zone'. Sure most people within Amity Park had seen Skulker and Danny Phantom have some knock out, drag out fights, but never had the buff ghost, or any ghost really, acted so violent whenever they were terrorizing the town, and especially not towards another ghost.

Ember pulled against the cord, but after having taken some serious hits already, she was unable to muster the strength to remove the painful object from around her neck. Being in pain she wasn't able to focus enough to turn intangible either, and for a frightening moment she worried that Skulker would break her neck and paralyze her. "Wh-why are you….d-doing this?"

A second later the pressure on her neck let off and she fell to her hands and knees, coughing up a little ectoplasm onto the floor. A heavy boot pressed onto her back, pushing her flat to the ground. "Your guitar is a rather unique item within the Ghost Zone. No other like it exists, and unfortunately for you I'm in need of it for something important. You on the other hand," He raised the guitar into the air by the neck, "We don't need you whatsoever. You don't have enough power for what we have in mind."

Without another word he smashed the body of the instrument into her head, knocking her out cold instantly. Like the monster he was, Skulker struck her skull again, and again, and again, until ectoplasm leaked out of her mouth and she was no longer breathing. While ghosts didn't need to breathe, many did so out of habit from when they lived. To see her so lifeless upon the floor was a terrifying image for many of the people who had not left. Using all the strength he could put into it, Skulker struck Ember's skull one more time, the impact making a horrible sound and splattering the guitar body with ectoplasm. "Besides, no one dumps the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone."

Hearing the sirens of police vehicles outside the store, Skulker strapped the instrument to his back and turned invisible. While the Amity Park Police swarmed the building he flew away with none the wiser.

**Elsewhere**

"You know, I'm really beginning to think it was a bad idea introducing you to this place when we first started getting to know each other." Danny sighed dramatically as he stared at the screen of the game they were playing. He and his girlfriend Star were at the arcade enjoying a nice summer afternoon. Twenty minutes in and once again she was stomping him badly at yet another game. They had been playing _Mortal Kombat 4_, and out of five tries he had lost all five. He watched dejectedly as her character, Jax, used his Fatality and ripped his character, Reptile, in half at the waist.

Star laughed lightly, then kissed his cheek sweetly, "Don't worry about it babe. At least when you and Tucker go head-to-head you win more than you lose."

The halfa nodded at that, for indeed out of five matches, had the hero been playing against the tech savvy boy he would have won at least three of them. In certain games Tucker could wipe the floor with Danny, but usually the two had a healthy competitive back and forth record for wins and losses. Which made it all the more awesome when Tucker would be completely obliterated by the blonde.

After playing two more games, and a new high score being set on the _Mrs. Pac-Man_ machine, the couple grabbed some drinks and an order of buffalo wings and sat down. In the six months they had been together they had not changed much in their looks, except Danny was starting to really fill out from the two years of fighting ghosts, and Star herself was getting a toned body from helping him. Neither were quite in the 'muscular' category, but more of the 'definition' one, both teens having pretty much converted any baby fat into muscle.

Danny was glad that his body had stayed lithe, as both he and Star felt that being built like a tank, such as Dash Baxter, would be kind of gross. As for Star, she was in the best shape of her life, and was happy that she no longer became easily winded when Team Phantom were taking on whatever ghost decided to attack.

"By the way, I finally got a chance to read your latest chapter that you posted for your story online. I really liked it, and I think you did a good job keeping the couple in it from seeming obsessed with each other." Star smiled at the blue-eyed boy happily, then her smile turned sly, "I also like that the girl in it reminds me of someone with blonde hair, whose kind, and has a good head on her shoulders. You wouldn't happen to be willing to tell me where the inspiration came from would you?"

Danny blushed a little, for even after six months together, at times she could make him feel shy, in a good way of course. "Thanks, and I based her off this wonderful girl that I happen to know. You probably know her, she is super awesome, and gorgeous, and pretty much fills my heart with joy just thinking about her."

The two shared a laugh, since the main characters of his fanfiction were partially based on them. After a few minutes of silently enjoying their food, Star broached a subject that they both had on their minds lately. "Any idea why there's hardly been a ghost attack in the last several weeks? Not that I'm complaining, but that's kind of weird isn't it?"

Danny took a gulp of his soda and nodded in response. "I've noticed that any time there's a large gap of ghostly activity in this town it's because something even worse is just around the corner. Trust me, it happened with Pariah Dark and with that dark version of me. The lull in ghosts right now is going to be filled with something that makes the rest of them look like a walk in the park." His eyes narrowed in irritation at the thought, knowing that both times when faced with powerful adversaries he had nearly lost, and such a loss would have had terrible consequences.

Star grabbed his hand and rubbed her thumb over the skin in light circles. "Hey, at least we have numbers over whatever decides to try anything. You, me, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Valarie when she's not trying to fry you." The reminder of the fact that he had backup that would support him no matter what, though Valarie was kind of on the fence as she hated Phantom, brought back the teen's smile.

"Yeah, you're right. No matter what, as long as you guys are around nothing can keep me down for long. Maybe we can take advantage of this peace and try finding Paulina." His suggestion was soft-spoken, as he had little trouble remember all the tragedy the Hispanic girl had gone through before disappearing off the face of the earth.

Star herself desperately wished she knew where her former friend was. Despite the falling out with the A-list, Paulina in particular, Star and the rest of Team Phantom had the equivalent of front row seats to the hardship the former Queen of Casper High went through. Seeing the pain the girl was going through at the time made Star want to run up to her and hold her tight. The blonde didn't believe in grudges, and wouldn't wish the string of bad events on anyone. It didn't matter that Paulina had treated her like crap for so long, Star wanted to try helping her. Then with the Latina dropping out of school and disappearing into the vast amount of homeless living in the city, that chance to help was taken.

No one, not the police, nor Team Phantom, had been able to locate her. Just the thought that the teen could be dead, or living in some unsanitary hellhole, and all kinds of ever worsening scenarios, brought heartache to Star. The rest of Team Phantom felt for the missing girl too, but they had never been close to her as Star had.

Star turned her sad thoughts off, not wanting to get too worked up and ruin the date the duo were on. "Always the hero Danny, looking out for everyone no matter who they are." She smiled at her boyfriend, thankful for every day that they had each other.

Danny returned her smile and started leaning in for a kiss, when he gasped and felt the familiar chill of his Ghost Sense going off.

**Amity First Bank**

Everyone stared at the person whom had walked into the bank. It was some kind of ghost that was new in town, for no one had ever seen her before. White scaled flesh, yellow eyes, long black hair, scorpion-like tail, white jeans, red tank top, and a dangerous looking scowl. Her electric eyes swept over each and every person, until she saw the one she was looking for.

Paulina pointed at the manager of the bank, the one that had been in charge of taking possession of her home and everything within and liquidating it at a state auction. "You and I have some things to discuss." Then she began walking towards him, nearly snarling like an animal with each step closer.

**Fenton Works**

"Maddie, the computers are picking up a massive ghost signature downtown!" Jack Fenton yelled for his wife while he gathered up several Fenton ghost hunting inventions, including a few Fenton brand bazookas and high-impact grenades.

Maddie poked her head into the basement, having been in the kitchen when the alarms went off. "I'll start the Fenton RV. Make sure to grab the Jack-of-Nine-Tails while you're at it!" She dashed in the direction of the garage, already thinking of all the horrifying experiments her and Jack would do to whatever spook dared show its face this time.

Jack nodded like a kid on a sugar high, having not even thought of the weapon named after himself. "Good thinking Maddie, that'll put the hurt on those ectoplasmic collections of consciousness!"

**Poor Ember. Wonder what our villains need her guitar for? Now we're about to see our hero and our angry experiment meet. Wonder how that will go?**


	4. Welcome To Town

**Now we get to see Danny and the new Paulina meet. Perhaps we will also see Ember or Technus? Idk yet. BTW, the stinger at the end of Paulina's tail isn't like a normal scorpion stinger. It looks more like an arrowhead, with a rough texture like the rock-like spines along her back.**

4

"_After today's ghost incident the damage to downtown Amity Park is still being assessed. Police have yet to decide if charges will be filed against the Fentons. No official statement has yet been made by the Guys In White or Mayor Masters."_

_News channel 6, news anchor Kevin during the 5'o'clock news broadcast_

Paulina watched with narrowed eyes as the bank manager, Josh Keens, loaded up several large bags with stacks of money. Each bundle of 100 dollar bills totaled out to $10,000, and she herself was ripping safety deposit boxes out of the wall and taking any valuable jewelry or precious gems. When she was finished with everything it wouldn't even matter how much she'd stolen from him, and others by proxy, only that he would feel the same crushing agony that came with having everything taken from you. The half-ghost remembered his snide attitude well during the investigation against her father.

Keens had mostly reacted with a complete lack of empathy or care for her, however, after the court had ordered the seizure of her estate the man had told her to her face that life sucked and to just deal with it. Well, now she was going to make him _deal_ with someone taking every single bit of money from his bank she could carry.

The man finished tying another bag closed, the fourth one, and of all things began to beg, "Listen, please, I don't know who you are, but please just take whatever you want. Don't hurt me, I'll do everything you ask, just don't hurt me, please," He was cut off as Paulina put her hand on his face and shoved him into the wall, using just a bit of pressure to cause him pain.

Her electric yellow eyes nearly stopped him from breathing, so fierce was the glare she was giving him. "Of course you don't know who I am. I learned in recent months that people who are truly selfish and only care about themselves never remember those that they've destroyed in the process. You are one that took everything from me, I'm only returning the favor _trash_. So concerned for yourself that you don't even ask for me not to harm everyone else, but I'm not like you." Indeed, although the bank guards had opened fire on her with their pistols, the bullets had not so much as scratched her. All she had done to everyone in the bank was lock them in one of the larger offices in the lobby and barricade the doorway.

Keens looked at her like she was insane, completely disregarding the fact that she could easily crush his skull in. "I didn't do anything to you! I've never once messed with any of the ghosts in this town, and I've never even seen you before today." His shouting was rewarded with being tossed across the room into the opposite wall. His body hit with a _thud_ and fell into a stunned heap. The man wasn't given a reprieve as Paulina's tail slammed into his left knee, breaking it with ease, then doing the same to the other.

His whimpering cries did not earn him any sympathy from the revived girl. Two broken knees did not even come close to the same amount of pain the Latina had gone through. Yet she was not a murderer, and despite what she felt for him, he would not be the reason she became one. Having bagged everything, she eyed him disdainfully one last time before grabbing the four bags of cash and valuables and walked out of the vault. The barricaded room was not even given a glance as she made her way through the lobby and out the front doors of the bank.

Instead of being met with the Amity Park Police Department as she had expected, floating in the street with his arms crossed was Amity Park's resident hero, Danny Phantom. They eyed each other for a second before Danny spoke, "Usually ghosts are out and about terrorizing or planning some kind of world-domination scheme. You're the first that I've met that decided to rob a bank." While it was curious behavior for a ghost, he would put her in a Thermos and back in the Ghost Zone just like all the others.

For Paulina, something was happening inside her mind. She saw a bright light above her, blinding her, but also keeping her attention as if it were the only thing that existed. The light, and the voice that began speaking, entranced her suddenly.

_Phantom is the enemy_

Although only a second passed in the real world, within the girl's mind it was as if days of agonizing torture passed, with only the light and that one instruction to keep her company. Paulina dropped the bags full of money and _growled_ at Danny, the sound completely primal and involuntary. The female half-ghost charged the male half-ghost, surprising him with the lack of responding banter or even human speech. She sprung into the air and attempted to tackle him, but the silver-haired boy dodged and retaliated with a punch to her face. Paulina wasn't fazed by his attack and tried biting him with her sharpened teeth.

"Whoa! No need to take a limb away now." Danny jibed, despite being surprised earlier he still felt the need for mocking banter. Paulina answered him by spinning, slamming him with her tail and sending him into one of the cars parked in front of the bank.

"_Skreeeng_," She roared at him, still seemingly locked away in whatever madness her mind created upon seeing him, and then charged him again.

An ecto-blast shot from the wrecked car into Paulina's chest. The blast was a strong one that sent her through the window of a store across the street, the people inside screaming in fright and leaving as fast as they could. Danny emerged from his indention that had been made when he slammed into the car, a frown on his face. He turned to the ruined vehicle and sighed, "Sorry car. Just another thing I'll get blamed for even though it wasn't my fault." His gaze returned to the store his blast sent the ghost into, his body rising into the air as he floated towards it.

Once inside he looked around for the tough ghost, but to his dismay all he found was a large hole in the floor. "Burrowed?" The hero floated back outside and looked around for any signs of his foe. Had he been looking down he might have avoided the attack. Paulina emerged from the ground in a shower of asphalt and concrete, latching onto Danny and sinking her teeth into his shoulder.

"Ahhh!" The pain was excruciating, and Danny couldn't focus enough to turn intangible. Without really thinking about it he flew backwards into a building, then repeated the action twice, finally causing Paulina to let go of him. Grabbing hold of her hair the teen swung her around and tossed her back to the ground. The female half-ghost impacted roughly, but her toughened skin and knife-like spikes protected her from any real damage.

Standing back up Paulina kept her eyes locked on Danny, the boy holding onto his injured shoulder, but otherwise not too hurt to stop fighting. "I don't know what your problem is, but I've had just about enough of you!" Danny put both hands in front of himself and started charging up his powerful ice beams. If he could freeze her then using the Fenton Thermos would be a snap. With the complete lack of banter or boasting from his opponent, it was obvious that she was more dangerous than your average ghosts like Johnny 13 or Desiree. There was also the fact that the longer the fight went on, the greater the chance that his parents or Valarie would show up, and he _really_ didn't want to have to fight them too.

In response to Danny's ice beams, Paulina took a deep breath. The dorsal spikes that lined her back and tail began to light up the same electric yellow as her eyes. A few seconds of gathering up power and she unleashed a yellow beam from her mouth. Her beam and Danny's met, the attacks halting the other for several moments in a struggle, before Paulina's pushed Danny's back. When her attack collided with his chest it caused an explosion that sent the teen hero out of the air, crashing to the ground harshly.

His body dug into the road, leaving a short trail of busted concrete ten feet long. The rough treatment from the ground didn't hurt near as bad as when Paulina's beam had made contact. It stung terribly, feeling as if he had spilled acid on his skin, and when he looked down to see if any lasting damage had been done he saw that part of his jumpsuit was vaporized. The skin on his chest was also damaged, starting to blister and turn a harsh shade of red.

Danny looked back to his enemy, glaring at her, and once more wondering what had gotten her so upset. Then he saw something that made him truly cringe.

"Freeze spooks!"

Both halfas turned towards the loud command, Jack and Maddie Fenton standing battle-ready. Jack held a Fenton brand bazooka, with another strapped to his back. His wife also held one, while she had several ecto pistols hanging from her belt. The ghost hunting couple each aimed at one of the two ghosts, knowing that Danny Phantom would probably take several hits to take down if he didn't run away, while having no idea who the female ghost with the tail was.

"Come quietly with us so we can perform all kinds of painful and invasive experiments. You ectoplasmic freaks deserve no less than to be ripped apart molecule by molecule." Maddie figured they would try something, but coercing them was always possible.

"Fuck…..I'm out of here." Danny mumbled to himself. His chest still burned painfully, and he was in no mood to deal with his crazy parents. With a thought he turned invisible and flew back to where he'd left Star at the arcade. He hated leaving such a powerful ghost behind uncaptured, but with his injury he wouldn't be able to effectively take on the girl and his mom and dad.

His actions set off a chain reaction, as Jack and Maddie saw this as the green light to shoot at Paulina. Large green ecto-beams shot out of the bazookas towards the newer hybrid, but she did something that no other ghost had ever done so far in Amity's history. She just ducked. The beams went over her head as she crouched low, crashing into a café next to the bank, causing it to explode in a shower of glass and bricks.

The Fentons stared in shock for several seconds, completely taken aback by what happened. Usually ghosts would either turn intangible, run, or fight back when the duo started shooting weapons. They were not allowed to think too long on it as Paulina rushed to her stolen loot and began running down the road. That shook them out of their stupor and sent them back into high gear.

"After it! We'll catch her in the RV." Maddie yelled as they jumped back into the Fenton RV and Jack floored the gas. The eager woman pressed a few buttons on the dash and two panels opened on the roof in response, along with one on each side of the RV. From the roof emerged two machine-guns designed to fire anti-ghost bullets, while missile launchers were revealed on each side, each missile filled with ectoranium and ectoplasm.

Neither ghost hunter realized exactly the kind of consequences that might occur on account of the fact that they decided to use such weapons, so overzealous to catch and dissect a new ghost.

**So, the ending of this chapter, and part of the next chapter, will be a nice dive into the fact that I refuse to believe the fact that Amity Park was never really messed up from all the ghost attacks, ghost fights, or the Fentons firing high grade weapons of destruction in populated areas like dumbasses. For fucks sake at least Avatar shows the environment sometimes being damaged by people's actions, and it's a Nickelodeon show too. Perhaps Butch Hartman is just an idiot. Sigh.**

**Anyway, explanations about Paulina will come, but for now it's a mystery. I hope you like backstabbing, brainwashing, and destruction. We will see Jazz, Tucker, and Sam soon as well, and more DannyxStar interaction and romance. Remember, no one realizes that Paulina is the ghost, so wonder what will happen when they eventually do?**


	5. Unknown

**Thanks to all for the reviews, favs, and alerts. I appreciate it a lot. Sorry the update is a little late. My job is leaving me so tired that after work I just collapse in bed and don't feel like writing. Onto the show.**

_"If I was left to choose between you or ghost hunting, the answer would be obvious. I wouldn't even need to think about it." –Danny, on a date with Star_

Skulker returned to the factory that Technus had decided to take over upon the duo's arrival in the Human World. He stayed intangible, watching as the owner, overshadowed by his ally, ordered the workers to begin the process of building their weapon. Technus, in the man's body, turned to where the hunter floated, having sensed his return.

"Alright everyone, keep up the good work. I have some things to take care of in my office, so unless it's a dire emergency please do not disturb me." With that he turned away from the employees, walking with his hands clasped behind him as he began to ascend the stairs that led to the offices overlooking the production area. After a minute of continued walking the possessed man opened the door to his office with a keycard, Skulker silently following along.

The man sat in the leather chair behind his fancy oak desk, covered in blueprints, readouts, calculations, and other data. Looking up he spoke, "Did you manage to retrieve the item?" This time it was clearly Technus' voice coming from the man.

Pulling Ember's guitar from subspace Skulker grinned savagely, still thinking of the beating he had given his ex-girlfriend. "Of course. It was rather simple with the upgrades to my armor. And with it being powered by our captive I felt stronger than I ever have before. I'm rather surprised you never thought to do something like this earlier."

Technus took the guitar from his partner's hand and touched the surface lightly. His smile was rather smug as he stood and moved to a keypad on the wall. "I have thought of it actually, however I never had someone to test out the process with. No volunteers for battery or weapon. With this now," His eyes went to the instrument again, "With this we will have an infinite power source to keep the machine working. Our captive is giving a serious amount of power to this facility as is."

Pulling out a keycard from his pocket, Technus swiped it then entered the password on the keyboard that emerged from the wall. _NEGATIVE SPACE_

The keypad beeped once, accepting his card swipe and password, allowing a large section of the wall next to it to move up into the ceiling. The duo calmly walked into the new room, which was the complete opposite of the nice office they were just in. Inside the walls were lined with computers and monitors, displaying various data on several different things. The room was like a narrow corridor, several doors leading to other rooms in between the tech here and there, but all were ignored for a door that was marked _Hazard_.

Upon reaching the door Technus pulled another keycard and swiped it, then pulled yet _another_ keycard. This one, however, he channeled ecto-energy into, then swiped it. The red light above the door turned green, allowing the door itself to slide into the wall. Within this room was a large machine with dozens of hoses and wires hooked into it, along with a few monitors showing various data.

The machine was a red colored dome, with a small area of glass that allowed one to see inside it. "I would never have thought to use all that accumulated energy this way. How on earth did you come up with the idea?" Skulker listlessly gazed from the machine to his partner.

Technus waved his hand nonchalantly, moving to look into the visor. "I read a comic book that had a similar idea. She was the obvious choice as she has lived far longer than most of us, and her power has only grown with time."

Inside the machine, surrounded by green liquid and held still with anti-ghost restraints, was an unconscious Desiree, hooked up with several hoses and wires like some kind of car battery.

**With Danny**

Danny turned tangible inside Star's IROC, startling his girlfriend whom had been worried when she saw a building explode, not knowing that Danny's parents had been responsible. Seeing his wounded chest sent her into a panic. "Oh my god! Are you ok?" She reached out to him, but avoided touching the burned area, knowing it would only make the pain worse.

Gritting his teeth and grimacing, Danny nonetheless nodded. "It hurts a lot, but I think it will heal up. Might leave a scar of some kind, but I'm used to those so no big." He was surprised when Star grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. After a second or two he closed his eyes and kissed her back just as passionately.

When they broke apart they leaned their foreheads together, staring into each other's eyes, smiling slightly. Star nuzzled her cheek into his, sighing as she knew that their time together was going to be cut short. "I hate when you get hurt doing your hero thing, but, since I know you won't listen all I can do is wish you luck." She kissed him again, though it was a light peck this time. "And reward the brave hero for his efforts."

Despite the months they had been a couple, there were times that his wonderful girlfriend could still make him blush. Now was one of those times. "Well, when the chips are on the table your luck is all I need. Though, the love, support, and extra hands during a ghost attack are nice too."

His cheekiness earned him a playful smack on the head. "I have to go back and finish it. That ghost was pretty strong, and if I'd had some time I could have figured out a way to beat her. My parents got involved, but even with them making things more complicated I can't let whoever that ghost was run wild."

Then his eyes narrowed in thought, "Though, it was really weird that she was robbing a bank of all things. Wasn't causing destruction or anything actually, until she saw me. Then she went nuts, like some kind of animal."

Star stared at him for a second, processing what he said. That kind of behavior, ghost or not, spoke of something deeper than just an angry ghost. To go from nothing to a frenzy upon seeing her boyfriend. It was rather suspect. "Well, just do what you can ok? If it gets too hairy then get out of there, hero or not."

Just before he turned intangible he smirked at her, "No promises."

**Elsewhere**

Paulina turned to look behind her, then leaned her body to the right to avoid another missile shot at her by the Fenton RV. The projectile sailed past her and into a car parked next to the sidewalk. It exploded furiously, scattering debris all around, pedestrians screaming in fear as they fled away from the destruction.

"Damn ghost! Stop moving so we can blast you to pieces!" Jack's demand went unheard, and most likely would've went unanswered. He pressed the missile lock button, wishing to fire a few more at the elusive ghost. She was perched upon the roof of another car, holding her bags of stolen money tightly. The halfa was not about to let these idiots spoil her heist.

"Fire away Jack!" Despite the previous failures, the duo had so much faith in their own inventions and weapons that they refused to back down from this ghost. Plus, the idea that as smart and evasive as it was, the plethora of data that could be obtained from experiments on it was too good to pass up.

Two missiles shot out of the RV, aimed for Paulina. The teen waited for a second then jumped off the car, the missiles flying by her harmlessly, but the new target of the explosives wasn't so lucky. They impacted the market store Paulina had been in front of and exploded violently. The store turned to rubble in an instant, and the two surrounding buildings were heavily damaged by the blast as well.

It was fortunate that by this time the area had been evacuated, otherwise more than a few people would have been killed. The Fentons, while not heartless, were too worked up over Paulina to really worry about anything else other than the halfa. Said teen was running towards a manhole in the middle of the street. If this fight kept up there was a huge chance that her bags of money were going to be an unacceptable casualty. Once she reached the manhole she pierced the cover with her pointed tail, flinging the heavy object in the direction of the Fenton RV.

While not designed for this purpose, the ghost shield that appeared around the RV prevented the metal cover from damaging the vehicle, however the force of the throw caused the entire shield to instantly begin cracking. The distraction worked perfectly, as Paulina tossed the money down into the sewer with intentions of grabbing it after she dealt with these two imbeciles.

The spikes along her back and tail began to glow yellow, the sign that she was about to unleashed her ecto-beam. The yellow energy appeared in her mouth for a moment before the powerful attack was let loose. The recovering ghost shield on the RV didn't stand a chance, shattering with force only two seconds after Paulina's attack struck. The backlash from the attack caused the RV to short circuit, unable to handle the sheer power behind the ecto-beam. Several panels and screens inside the vehicle sparked and died, black smoke seeping from beneath the metal that housed them.

Jack and Maddie finally managed to open their eyes, having closed them and turned away when all the equipment went haywire. The couple were alarmed to find Paulina crouched on the hood, clawed hands digging into the vehicle to keep balanced. Her spikes began glowing again, the anger in the teen's eyes actually startling the ghost hunters for a second. At point blank range they would not survive such a strong attack.

But the halfa surprised them, suddenly tilting her head down and firing off her beam at the engine bay of the RV. Despite all the advancements the married duo had made to ghost technology over the years, engines that could withstand a ghost-powered attack were not one of them. No explosion happened, but the smell of melted cast iron was heavy. For the moment it seemed the Fenton's mode of transportation was going nowhere.

Dropping to the asphalt Paulina sneered in anger at the ghost fanatics. She had long since snapped out of whatever psychosis she had fallen under upon seeing Danny Phantom, which is why she was able to dodge every attack the Fentons had tried against her. With a clear mind her intelligence was able to match theirs. "You stupid _lunatico demente_, if this area hadn't been evacuated by the police then you would have _killed_ someone. Are you so desperate to experiment of me that you don't care who gets hurt along the way?"

Paulina turned away from them, intent of entering the sewer, grabbing her money, then returning to that rundown apartment she'd found her current clothing in. Unfortunately floating in front of her was the very halfa she fought before the Fentons showed up. He was eyeing her cautiously, arms at his side, and the burn mark on his chest still healing.

"Ready for round two?" This time he had a somewhat better idea of how to fight her. She didn't seem to be able to fire ecto-beams out of her hands like normal ghosts, nor did she once take flight or turn intangible. Perhaps she was saving those for an emergency, but he had a strong feeling that she was unable to do any of those things.

The blinding light and commanding voice telling her to fight did not appear this time. She didn't know why, but was glad. When she fought him the first time it was like she was trapped within her own body, a passenger along for the ride. This time she would be able to fight as herself. All she could remember before waking up was the hellish experience of her life falling apart, and being killed, other than that she had no memories at all.

She needed to find out why, needed to find out who she was. It was like she was Paulina, but she didn't know who Paulina was. The halfa wanted answers, and Danny Phantom seemed intent on fighting her. He would not stop her, from revenge or answers. "Of course I am. I'm not afraid of you Ghost Boy. Paulina doesn't back down from anyone that challenges her." Ok, perhaps referring to herself in third person was odd, but it got the point across.

"Paulina?" Danny was beyond shocked by what she'd said. This, this couldn't be _Paulina_, could it? So surprised by her admission that he didn't react in time to avoid her leaping tackle, teeth sinking into his shoulder a second time in one day.

**I apologize about the wait. As said I have been so tired after work that sitting down and typing has become a real chore. Good news is I'm about to be promoted to shift manager at my job. Hooray for a pay increase. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter is part two of Danny and Paulina fighting, with some Star angst thrown in, and Vlad makes an appearance.**


	6. Round 2

**Sorry for the delays guys, I just have no time to really sit down lately. I'm going to do my best to churn out chapters faster, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for all the support.**

"_Oh young Daniel, you continue to grow at an exponential rate, but will you hold?" – Vlad Masters, watching footage of Danny and Paulina, with Star looking horrified._

Danny's back slammed into a mailbox hard enough to pull two of the feet out of the concrete, then ducking to avoid the swinging tail that would've given him a splitting headache. Paulina had him on the defense since her first strike, his shoulder throbbing just thinking of her sharp teeth, but he'd managed to hit back with a few powerful ecto-beams. She was tough for sure, it was like fighting Vlad, but without all the irritating taunting and speeches to join him.

His mind was still reeling from what she'd said before, that she was Paulina. He didn't want to admit it, as she did look like the missing girl, covered in scales of course. How did she get like this though? And was she a halfa or a full ghost? Why the lizard-like appearance? He was so lost, he needed time to think and to investigate. Team Phantom would need to do some snooping.

In the meantime however, when she turned to face him fully he blasted her in the chest. She was indeed tougher than most he'd fought, as the beam only pushed her back a few feet, but it gave him a chance to land a strong punch across her cheek. He followed up with another three punches, two of which hit her other cheek. Paulina turned away slightly, a bit dazed from the powerful hits, and Danny took advantage by grabbing hold of her tail. The female halfa was spun around twice before being let go.

Impact with a telephone pole snapped it in two, though she was lucky to not have it fall down on her. Dazed, but not down, Paulina glared at Danny. Turning her gaze to the ground she began to dig, planning to burrow to a better position. Within seconds she was gone, leaving Danny frustrated and looking around warily. He didn't have to wait long as she emerged from the concrete behind him. The long haired teen latched onto Danny's leg, pulling him out of the air and slamming him down hard. Crawling over him she returned the four punches he'd given her, causing him to cry out when her last one struck.

Paulina reached down and wrapped her clawed hand around his throat, easily lifting him up and holding him a foot off the ground. Letting go she turned swiftly, smacking him with her tail hard enough to break a rib or two. The hero was sent flying into that same mailbox, this time knocking it over completely. Perhaps now she could leave and return to her stolen apartment.

Effortlessly she caught the weapon that was about strike her skull. Turning her gaze slowly towards the Fentons, Maddie being the one that held the Jack-of-Nine-Tails, she glared at them once more. They just didn't know when to quit. Her thoughts were interrupted when Maddie pressed a button on the grip of the weapon, sending ectoranium pulses through it. When they reached Paulina and began coursing through her body, the halfa scream in pain. No matter how strong she had become, in this form she was weak against the terrible element like any full-blooded ghost.

Brought down to one knee she felt something wrap around her arms and torso, Jack having pulled out the Fenton Fishing Pole, and the surge of more ectoranium harming her. At this rate the pain alone was going to cause her to revert from her ghost side, then she'd be rather helpless against them.

"Stop!"

Jack and Maddie looked to the side, startled when Phantom knocked the Fenton Fishing Pole out of Jack's hand. Maddie pulled a pistol and tried to take the hero down, but a quickly erected shield protected him against the ecto-ray. "We're moments away from capturing her. Get away Phantom, unless you'd rather take her place."

"She can be stopped without needlessly hurting her, _or_ doing painful experiments on her." His gaze was like stone. As much as he loved his parents, he didn't agree with their obsession to torture and experiment on ghosts. Fight them, sure, but no experiments.

Meanwhile, now that the pain was gone Paulina tried to stand back up. Her breath was coming in short bursts, but at least her body had already begun to heal the few injuries she obtained and the ache from the ectoranium was nearly gone. A clicking sound caused her to look up, coming eye to eye with an ecto-pistol being held by a pretty blonde teen.

"Don't move, otherwise I'll have to shoot you. I don't want to do that." Star had seen part of the fight from a safe distance, knowing that Danny could take care of himself most of the time. However, between fighting an above-average ghost and having to hold off his parents from harming either of them, he was swamped. Fortunately she also carried a Fenton Thermos on her at all times, so this ghost would be sent back to the Zone in no time at all.

"Paulina?" Any plans in her mind halted once she actually got a good look at the ghost's face. Though changed, the pale-green scaled skin and yellow eyes were distracting, the ghost looked exactly like her former friend whom had been missing for six months. The shock caused Star to lower her ecto-weapon, frowning in confusion and relief. Confusion over why the Latina was like this, relief over having found her after six months of worry.

Paulina eyed the blonde oddly, though she was glad to not have a gun pointed in her face anymore. "Who are you?"

Now Star's face displayed pure shock. Her mouth hung open, trying to formulate words of some kind. How could her friend not recognize her? Sure they hadn't spoken after Star began to date Danny and hang out with Sam and Tucker, but there was no way Paulina could have forgotten her. Right?

"Paulina it's me, Star. We were friends, don't you remember?" Star slowly began to reach for her changed friend, showing no hostile movement. The blonde had questions, and from the look of confusion the other teen had, she was sure her former friend did as well.

Paulina looked warily at the hand offered to her by this stranger. It could be a trick, but the blonde had holstered her weapon, and she seemed genuine in her gesture. Aside from knowing she wanted revenge against those that had ruined the last months of her life before her apparent resurrection, the teen had no knowledge of anything about her life. Perhaps she could find out who 'Paulina' really was, maybe even get an extra hand or two to help with her revenge.

A noise to her left alerted her to an attack. Crouching down the green ecto-beam soared over her head harmlessly, until it struck a light pole. The halfa stood slowly, uncaring of the fixture that hit the ground in a shower of sparks. Her angry yellow eyes glared in the direction the attack came from, watching Danny struggle with the orange wearing fool over a Fenton Bazooka.

Moving away from Star the halfa roared in the direction of the Fentons. She was so angry, having not only been attack while doing nothing, but the fact that the beam could have easily hit the blonde whom claimed to have been her friend. She was taking care of those meddlesome idiots _now_, before someone got seriously harmed.

Danny finally managed to rip the Bazooka from his dad's meaty hands, not wasting a second as he broke it in two over his knee. He'd just spent several tension-filled moments arguing with them over their gadgets and how unethical they seemed, when his father fired at Paulina, whom was standing in front of his girlfriend. How could they possibly think it was ok to fire a weapon like that in their direction? If it only hit Paulina that would be one thing, but on the off chance the beam had hit Star…..being injured was the least that could happen.

Fortunately the beam didn't hit Star, and Paulina ducked it easily, however she was now glaring death at them. His fellow teen stepped away from his love, taking a slightly lowered stance. Having seen her do it already several times, he knew she was about to use her ecto-beam. True to form her dorsal spikes began to glow yellow, her eyes doing so a moment later. Despite his parents being idiots he couldn't let Paulina, if this female ghost was indeed her, hurt them.

Drawing deep down within himself Danny thrust his hands forward and unleashed his Ice Beams with as much power as he could. It met Paulina's ecto-beam and the two powers struggled against each other. This beam war lasted two minutes before the point the beams met imploded. The explosion caused a shockwave that sent everyone off their feet. After several moments a cry was heard from Danny, whom was now being held in the air by Paulina.

The mutated halfa only needed one arm to hold him up, a testament to her improved strength over those around her. Right now she could finish him off, end his existence so that he wouldn't be a hindrance to any of her actions later. However, turning her head to look back at Star, the words from before coming to her. 'Friends' was what they'd supposedly been, and the other girl seemed nice. If she were really friends with her then….

Danny hit the ground with a _thud_. Paulina tilted her head a little, eyeing the hero curiously. Even when he wasn't the one being attacked he still defended others from her. Admirable, if a bit foolish, but at least his heart was in the right place. Truly she had no quarrel with him, other than him trying to stop her from robbing the bank owned by that _vermin_. He wasn't the one she needed to take her anger out on.

Moving several feet away from the recovering Phantom and the two human idiots that had continued to attack her, Paulina crouched down and began to dig through the asphalt. Moments later she was gone, leaving only a hole as a sign she were ever there. Danny used the distraction she provided to turn intangible and make his way towards Star.

"I'm going to your car. Meet me there." His voice was a little strained. The fight, both times, had taken a lot out of him. The halfa needed time to rest his body, and perhaps his pride as well. It wasn't often that Danny lost a battle against another ghost. As time passed and he grew stronger even Vlad was becoming easier to stand against. Paulina however…she was _strong_. She'd taken everything he threw at her and gave twice as hard. His chest still burned from her ecto-beam to the chest.

Star left the scene quietly, following towards where she left her car. They needed to contact Jazz, Tucker, and Sam and have a Team Phantom meeting. Questions burned that needed answers, and if that ghost really was Paulina, then they needed to find her and find out what happened to her. A wet tear trailed down her cheek, startling her when she realized that her hands had been shaking for several minutes now.

Seeing part of such a brutal fight involving Danny, the ghost looking like Paulina, and the implications that brought of her former friend being dead. It was such an emotional blow for her. Despite the falling out the two girls had, Star hoped with everything that this was some kind of misunderstanding of some sort. The kind teen hoped Paulina was alright, and if she truly were dead, then she hoped to make peace with her and help her in any way she could.

**With Jack and Maddie**

"That ghost avoided everything we threw at her." Maddie looked at Jack with a frown. They usually were in competition with the Guys in White or Red Huntress when it came to ghost hunting, true, but they always outshined them with either the gadgets they used or tried-and-true husband and wife teamwork. Never before had they been so thoroughly humiliated or outclassed by a ghost _or_ human.

Jack was about to respond when a throat cleared behind them. Turning around they met face-to-face with their old college buddy and current Mayor, Vlad Masters.

Said man was giving them a look of complete anger and irritation. "Hey Vladdy, good to see you. We almost got that vile ghost!" Jack raised his hand up as if to expect a high-five from the long-haired man.

If it was possible Vlad glared even harder at them, but especially Jack and his gloved hand. "What the hell is the matter with you two? _You've caused more damage than that goddamn thing did!_" His yelling startled the couple, with Jack slowly lowering his hand with a sad frown.

**Sorry about the wait guys. Along with the action, that I hope you liked, I wanted to have some emotional situations in this chapter. I'm not sure if I was able to get them across like I wanted, but here's hoping. No action for a few chapters more, wanting to do some storytelling/emotion. Then a meaningful action scene. Till later.**


	7. Party Hard Part I

"_I have an idea of what I want to do. I want revenge. But, what will I do after?" –Paulina, written on a scrap of paper to let off steam_

Danny stared at the night sky, lit up with hundreds of stars, seeing the various patterns and constellations here and there. Of course the most beautiful of all stars was the one lying next to him. He and Star were relaxing in the park, the favorite place to spend time together as a couple, doing their best to not think of all that had happened within the last week and a half.

"Sometimes," He looked at the blonde when she spoke, "I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we had become close during freshman year, instead of two years later." Her eyes glanced at him, then went back to looking at the inky blackness above.

Danny turned onto his side and lightly nuzzled her cheek. "Well, there would definitely be some differences in how some things went down. Also, instead of seven months of happiness, we would have nearly three years. Perhaps by this time you would have driven me crazy too."

A thump on the tip of his nose didn't stop him from laughing, but his response was to place a light kiss on her cheek. That caused Star's lips to curve, her always wonderful smile making the halfa feel rather warm inside. Just as he was about to give another peck, he felt a drop of water hit his arm. Ah, it was starting to sprinkle, but that wouldn't stop him. It was only 7:30, and both of their curfews weren't for another two hours.

Star surprised him however, by rolling into him, the impact pushing him onto his back. "Pinned you." Her lips brushed his for a moment, their eyes meeting and saying so much without once speaking. The blonde pressed her lips to his once more, this time keeping them together. "I love you Danny." Even while mumbling the words, she kissed him again and again.

"And I love you." And Danny truly did, with all of his half-dead heart. As much as he loved his family and friends, it was something on a whole different level altogether to love the blonde. For instance, there were things that the hero could talk with Star about that he didn't feel he could with others. Just yesterday he had admitted to her that he had wanted to strike his parents when they shot at Paulina the week before, with the blonde only inches away. While he'd only destroyed his dad's weapon, the anger that had surged through him demanded more.

The couple talked for quite some time about the issue, and others of a similar nature. Danny admitted that it made him feel ashamed that he'd thought of attacking his folks in anger. For the first time since they became a couple he told her of his evil alternate future-self, Dan, and that whenever his anger started to get out of control it made him think of the monster. Danny worried that there was still a chance that he could become Dan, even though he prevented the Nasty Burger explosion from happening, if his anger wasn't kept in tight check.

Star was a bit shocked to learn that an evil version of Danny existed, and of the horrible things the man had done, but she knew her boyfriend. Star assured him that just because he _could_ wind up like Dan, didn't mean he _would_. The blonde knew that no matter what, no matter how tough things might get, that love would keep Danny on the right path. "Hey." She turned her gaze from the sky to Danny, "What do you think?" In his hand was her camera, held out to her.

"Yeah." Grabbing hold of it, Star moved her face close to his and smiled. With the camera above them she clicked the button, the flash putting spots in their eyes. The rain still sprinkled all around, the droplets causing Danny's hair to fall into his eyes and Star's to darken slightly. "Come on, I've got an idea. There's this place I want to visit." Standing up and pulling him from the ground, the couple walked to the IROC and set out for one last destination for the night. Unknown to the teens, a certain hunter ghost watched them the entire time through a set of high-tech binoculars. Once they left he lifted his arm and began to push a few buttons, bringing up a holographic screen.

"They're on the move, should I pursue?" The holographic screen showed the man that was currently being possessed by Technus, a slight green glow coming from behind the shades upon his nose.

"No. Right now I have another target for you. There is a lab in Ohio that I need you to visit. They've been developing a railgun there, the only one of its kind in the United States. I want it here by tomorrow."

Skulker frowned slightly at the tone Technus was using, but so far the other ghost had masterminded a foolproof plan that had yet to snag even once. "Understood." With the connection ending Skulker tapped another button on his wrist device, opening a portal back to the Ghost Zone. Traveling from Nebraska to Ohio would be faster by crossing the dimensions. For now he would follow the other ghost, and take any lip, but once Phantom was dead, and their attack dog put down, Skulker would make sure he paid Technus back in full.

_Elsewhere_

A ping sound alerted Jazz to an incoming IM on her laptop. When she saw who it was from, she minimized all other windows and focused on the messenger.

**Luckyman77: No luck finding her. Looked all over town and four other cities. No signs at all.**

**ScaredyKat86: Ghost Zone is a bust as well. Checked out Walker's prison, her realm, and all the usual spots. Nothing.**

**Jazzercise31: I've been on the web looking for any news of her. Most of what I found about the attack in the record store has been taken down. Some chat rooms and forums have talked about it, luckily they're still up and running.**

**ScaredyKat86: I'm really worried. It's not like her to be gone for long periods of time like this.**

**Jazzercise31: I asked Tucker to check police files. Ember was held in the station, unconscious the whole time. Two days later, she and the files are gone.**

**Luckyman77: We have another problem. Several other ghosts have been disappearing off the streets and from the Zone. A month ago I asked Desiree to look into it. Haven't seen or heard anything from her since.**

**Jazzercise31: What do you think happened?**

**Luckyman77: I don't know. I don't like any of this.**

**ScaredyKat86: Can you meet with us? We'd like to talk more, and I think someone has been following me.**

**Luckyman77: I'll be there in minutes.**

_**Luckyman77 has signed off**_

**Jazzercise31: Where are you?**

**ScaredyKat86: The **_**Fast Times Café**_** on Concord Avenue.**

**Jazzercise31: It'll take longer for me to get there, but I'm coming. Tell Johnny when he arrives.**

_**Jazzercise31 has signed off**_

_**ScaredyKat86 has signed off**_

_Downtown_

The scaled figure walked through the alley silently, focused on nothing as a few homeless vagrants eyed her warily before going back to sleep. The sprinkling rain was constant, lightly pelting her skin and clothes. In the week and a half since the bank robbery and confrontation with Phantom Paulina had been laying low. Getting interrupted by those idiot Ghost Hunters and Phantom nearly cost her all the money and jewelry taken. The next task, when she made her move, would have to be more carefully planned. Luckily the apartment she was taking residence in made for a good place to hide out, with the entire building empty save herself. So long as she was careful it would be fine.

Pausing for a moment Paulina looked down at her hands. Covered in white scales, claws, and the last few days she noticed patches of her skin hardening. How long had she been transformed now? Almost two weeks as her Ghost half, not once changing back human since the first night in the apartment. Why? If the Latina were honest she was afraid. Oddly, along with her skin body changing slightly, her clothing were different colors now. The red shirt and white pants were now purple and black respectively. She didn't know how or why, but perhaps it was a side effect of the prolonged transformation?

"Well," Near the other end of the alley was a door, from which she could vaguely hear club-type music from. "It wouldn't hurt I guess." With but a thought, a black ring of light appeared around her waist and separated into two. Once both rings reached their end and disappeared, the teen once more looked upon smooth, tanned skin. Interestingly, the clothing was now repaired from where the spikes along her back had erupted, and both items were their original color of red and white.

Back to a human state everything felt different to the teen. She couldn't smell or sense things like before, nor did her body automatically feel as if it were on alert for threats. Her body was returned to normal, and with it something interesting. For the entire two weeks she had not ate or drank anything, for her body didn't need it. Now out of her Ghost mode, a watery mouth and rumbling stomach alerted her to the need for food and water.

Continuing her walk the sounds of muffled music, the type played in clubs, reached her ears. Eyes glancing up they only had to look for a second to see it. A back door under a neon sign that read _Animus_, odd for a club of any kind to have a sign in such a place. Usually they were only out front where club patrons could see from the street. Oh well, that didn't matter. Paulina approached the door and stared it down, thinking of what to do next. The halfa had no cash on her, no ID, and was unsure if being in a club would be a productive choice.

The door slammed open suddenly, almost causing the Latina to activate her Ghost mode. A young white guy, maybe mid-20s, stood there coughing lightly. She didn't recognize him, but with her currently spotty memory that wasn't a surprise. The man eyed her in shock for a moment before waving his hand at his side, "Sorry if I startled you, I was in a hurry to get some fresh air. Few hours in these places will tire you out and all. Were you waiting?"

Paulina raised a brow in confusion, "Waiting?"

He indicated a direction back in the club, "To come back in? Sometimes I see other people out here having a smoke or something."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I had to make a call to someone, lost track of time during. You know?" Her lie was so transparent a blind person could see it. Worse, why would she say yes?

The man shrugged and stepped out of the doorway, holding it open for her to enter. The instant she did the music seemed to amplify exponentially. It was loud and the bass thudded, but the sounds were not ear splitting. All around her bodies were in motion, sweat glistening in the changing lights, no end to it all in sight. Had she been to a club before? The teen could not remember, but that didn't matter that much. Awkward and unsure she stayed off the dance floor and kept to the wall, squeezing by people that wanted to dance out of the groups. Finally finding a relatively free space she leaned against the wall and watched.

The music, the lights, the humid air, the smells. Something about it entranced her; seemed to draw in and not let go. So much negative stimuli since two weeks ago, partly her choice and partly circumstance, but here, in this club she hadn't even paid to enter: a high that no drug could truly replicate. So enthralled by the sensations that Paulina never noticed someone leaned on the wall beside her.

"You don't exactly look old enough to be in this kind of place."

The halfa turned to the person, expecting it to be a bouncer or club employee. He didn't look it with his white t-shirt, jeans, and grey high tops. His face was handsome, with blue eyes and auburn hair. If she had to guess he was about the same age as the guy that let her in. "Is that so?"

"I don't really care, people should be allowed to have fun however they want. Figured you would be with friends or something. Plenty of friends sneak into places together these days." His eyes and face didn't look at her, instead keeping to the large crowd dancing.

"I don't have any friends." Her gaze copied his and lazily watched everyone.

The man's grin went unnoticed. "Not even one? Must be lonely."

"Well," She thought back to the blonde, Star, who said they were friends. "Maybe one."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it." He turned his head towards Paulina. "Want to join the fun?"

Paulina kept her eyes on the dance floor. For two weeks her life had been chaos and uncertainty. The last few days she had been searching all over town under cover of night looking for the lawyer that had prosecuted her father, and had yet to find him. Failure to find him led to anger and frustration, along with depression. Her body and her heart were strung out, and tonight she had simply been aimlessly wandering. Now the teen found herself in a club, a complete 180 from her habits so far. This guy, whoever he was, was offering another change. He was handsome, and nice, sure he was a few years older but…the room was so intoxicating.

Out on the floor it was like a completely different world. Dancing with him, moving close, sweat pouring down her skin. Lights. Action. Bass drum. Mind-numbing. One hundred twenty beats per. Twice the speed of a beating heart. For the first time in two weeks, and possibly much longer, Paulina felt good. And for once, she didn't have to hurt someone to feel that way. She felt truly, wonderfully, alive.

**I have been dealing with things in life that have caused writing to slow. Forgive me. The club scene was partially inspired by Assassin's Creed: Revelations when you do Desmond's Journey part 4. The music playing in the club is the one from the game, Party Hard by Jesper Kyd, and that is where the line about 124 beats per came from. Know who her dance partner is?**


	8. Party Hard Part II

"_You are the victor this time. Let that temper your pride, in the fact that the next time we engage in combat you will not be so lucky." -?_

Paulina and her dancing partner stayed out on the dance floor for 30 minutes straight before leaving the club to enjoy the night air. She had a great time, and though her body felt the burn from the activity, she was more relaxed than when she first entered the place. Glancing to the man beside her as they strolled the downtown sidewalks, she couldn't help but mention something that was on her mind.

"You know, I had a really fun time, and I'm grateful you didn't tell the bouncers I was underage. However, you haven't told me your name." Indeed she was grateful for his company and how it helped take her mind off the fucked up thing called her life. Truth was he was a stranger though, and partially still since he hadn't once introduced himself.

He nodded and looked in her direction. "You're right of course, but you also didn't tell me what your name is. I've no problem telling if you don't." Such an odd response, but he did have a point. She was unknown and hadn't really spoken much while they danced.

"My name is Paulina. Now will you tell me?" She tried not to sound annoyed, for she really wasn't, but he was being mysterious and she wasn't really used to that from anybody. At least, she didn't think she was.

"No problem. My name is…." He rotated his right hand in a circle and the world around them shifted into a black void. He turned to her, his eyes glowing a ghostly green that was shades different from what a ghost's would look like. "The Creator."

Paulina's eyes widened so much it felt like they would fall out. This was an unknown that had vast power it seemed, and for whatever reason he singled her out. Taking two steps back she prepared to activate her ghost mode, when the world again shifted. The change originated from under her feet and spread outward, turning the black void into the starry expanse of outer space. The halfa stopped to gaze in awe at the sights around her. There were colorful planets all around them, though she didn't recognize any as being from Earth's solar system, and when she turned from one that had several rings around it Paulina was treated to the sight of several comets traveling in a group passing by.

Despite having been seemingly transported to space, the Latina was calmer now after seeing the wonderful sights. Her face must have shown such, as The Creator chuckled wistfully. "It is a beautiful thing isn't it? Out of all the things within existence I find that there are places in the cosmos that truly take ones breath away. Had I any need to breathe that is."

Paulina looked at the powerful being warily before dropping the aggressive stance she had taken. If he wished her harm he had the kind of power that showed he could have do so already multiple times if he so wished. Looking back to the wonders around her for a few moments she decided to ask him a question. "Are we really in space?" She had no trouble breathing and her body wasn't decompressing, but her body was acting different these days so there was no telling.

The Creator shook his head and stepped closer, "No we aren't. We are in my realm within the Ghost Zone. I can make it appear however I wish, just as I can alter how the Ghost Zone looks if I choose to. Space can be beautiful when you look in the right places. Now," He lifted a finger and tapped his right temple, "There is a reason I sought you out and brought you here. In fact, there is a reason for why you were resurrected as well."

The teen looked at him with narrowed eyes then. She knew, or at least _strongly_ suspected, that she had died and been brought back. Hearing The Creator not only confirm it, but admit to do so, made her even more suspicious of his intentions. "Why would you waste your time with me?"

He moved his hand from his temple to his chin, "Because while I am a being of incredible power I am not all-knowing. When your body was brought before me by Skulker and Technus, I knew something was amiss. I sometimes grant requests to ghosts that seek out my help, or if I turn them away I always give them advice in how to handle the situation themselves. They asked me to bring your corpse back to life, melded with blood from the Halfa child and the remains of a scorpion."

"I knew that you had died just days before; one of my abilities as one of the Three is knowledge of how a person died, if they were good or evil, and if they had regrets. As you were you would have turned into a ghost once your soul reformed, with the trials you faced in your final months causing massive regret. The entire situation bothered me, so I played along with their request."

Paulina looked down slowly to her hands. They had begun to tremor slightly and her heart was picking up speed rapidly. The revelation was quite startling to the girl. "So I was killed, and you gave me life again." Her voice was near a whisper, but The Creator heard her perfectly.

"In a way I did." The Creator moved to stand closer, only two feet between them now. "I, nor my siblings, do not have the power to restore life. Reanimate a corpse, yes, but true resurrection, no. Only our mother can do that. So I did something else; in a way I….cheated."

She looked up at him, eyes watery and hands still trembling. "I took your soul and the soul of the scorpion and merged them into a new soul. It is a power I have that my siblings do not, being that I am basically the balance between their Light and Dark. While I cannot restore life, I can _create_ it if I wish. That is what you are, an amalgam of Paulina and a scorpion, with a ghost half gained from the blood of Danny Phantom. It is why your ghost half has an animalistic look, though, you are not at your full strength yet."

"Being a new soul only weeks old your abilities from your ghost half have yet to develop much, which is why you can't fly or turn intangible yet. I plan to correct that now, because I am tired of waiting for the enemy."

Paulina was nearly numb at this point, but managed to slur out a question. "Enemy?"

The Creator raised his right hand once more, pointing his finger at her. "The one who killed you. Technus and Skulker are devious, but what has been happening recently is beyond them. It is…..out of character I should say. I believe someone or something is manipulating them and events around them to achieve a goal of some sort. What it is I don't know, but I _do_ know that with your help I may increase the chance of stopping whatever is going on."

The teen was about to object, but The Creator was having none of it. "They chose you for a reason Paulina Sanchez. You did not ask for it, I understand that, but now is a chance to bring justice to yourself and to do something for a good cause."

"But I'm…..I'm not Paulina. I'm…a fake…I'm part of her, but not truly." A lone tear trailed down her cheek, but was unexpectedly caught by the man across from her.

His eyes were sympathetic and filled with emotion of his own. "You aren't Paulina, that is true, but no one is asking you to be her. If you want you can continue to be the girl you once were, or you can be someone entirely new. You are the result of a merging between two souls, part of both but neither one is who you are as a whole. Whoever you are is up to you and only you, no one else has the right to make that choice."

His fingertip glowed a bright white color, drawing her eyes like a firefly in the summer night. "Learn what you once were, so that you may become what you will be." With that his fingertip touched her forehead and Paulina's world shifted to a blinding white.


	9. Falling Into Place

"_If I had a sister, she would be like you." –Kitty and Jazz_

Jazz entered the café silently, unsure why she felt as if there was cause to watch her back, but following her gut nonetheless. At the same time however, she knew that things within Amity Park were changing rapidly. Her parents were in trouble with Mayor Masters, and while she knew he was usually doing something immoral or illegal, this was one time that he had a legitimate reason for harassing the Fentons seeing as they'd demolished three streets worth of property chasing Paulina. Then of course with Paulina apparently being a ghost capable of defeating Danny in a fight, and Ember having been missing since she'd been attacked by her ex-boyfriend Skulker.

Jazz was scared that something bad was about to happen, and so she turned to her only friends that weren't Team Phantom: Johnny 13 and his girlfriend Kitty. Yeah, and wasn't that an odd turn of events when they first started. Of course after the incident where Johnny tried to get Jazz permanently overshadowed by Kitty it was understandable that Jazz might never want to see either ghost again. Yet, during her possession something odd happened that normally didn't. During the brief times that Kitty had control of her body Jazz was able to memories of Kitty's past.

The redhead saw how that when she and Johnny were alive they had been a devoted, loving couple that went from high-school sweethearts to budding young adults on the verge of marriage. The older of the Fenton siblings saw that the duo were a bit into troublemaking, hanging around the Nasty Burger with their friends, and even planning to buy a small home in Amity Park. Everything seemed like it was perfect for John and Katherine.

Until one night when they'd been heading to their apartment after leaving the movie theater. A drunk driver had crashed into John's bike from the side, sending them to the pavement and under the man's car. It was a small miracle that they died almost instantly. The thing about ghosts, from what the couple told Jazz, was that whatever powers they had and how vicious they acted, depended partially upon how traumatic their death was. The duo admitted that they could have ended up a lot worse once they had woken in the Ghost Zone, being looked over by a man in his twenties that told them of their fate.

While she had at first been angry over their plan to have her possessed, Jazz forgave them and made an effort to learn more about them since they had become ghosts, eventually being able to call them friends. She didn't tell anyone of this, especially not her parents or brother. If there was one absolute in this world she knew, it was that Jack and Maddie Fenton had zero tolerance for ghosts. It didn't matter what their story or intentions were, all the Fenton parents saw were menaces that needed extermination or experimentation.

As for Danny, while he was much more tolerant, Jazz still felt that risking her new friendship would be a bad decision. That was why when Johnny and Kitty asked for her help locating a missing Ember, she had lied to her family several nights with the excuse of 'study groups' when she was instead searching the city and Internet for any information or sign of the rock star's whereabouts. Now their fruitless search was becoming frantic once the trio learned of more ghosts disappearing from the Zone. Jazz wasn't sure what in the world was going on, but she would do everything in her power to protect her friends.

The couple had taken a table near the back away from anyone else. Kitty was snuggled up into Johnny's side, his coat covered arm holding her close. Two cups of some kind of drink were placed in front of them, a light steam rising from the liquid showed they were fresh. Jazz sat across from them sedately, not wishing to draw a lot of attention to them.

"On the computer you said you felt like someone was watching you. Do we know if they're a human or a ghost?" The redheaded Fenton pulled out a notepad, the most recent page covered in information the trio obtained about Ember, little as it was.

Kitty looked down at the table in thought. "Well, I think they were a human. Although ghosts can hide from each other for the most part, we can still sense their energy. So even if they're invisible we'd know _something_ was around us, just not the exact location. But…..whoever was watching me didn't have any ecto energy about them."

Jazz nodded in understanding as she finished putting the notes down. "I think that there's one explanation for what's been going on then, and neither of you are going to like it."

"At this point it don't matter. We'll do what we have to in order to get her back." Johnny spoke with conviction, letting Jazz know that nothing would stand in their way.

"I'm 95% sure that she's being held captive by the Guys in White. Where or which facility I've no idea, but I'm going to ask Tucker to hack into their system and find her." Her eyes hardened till they were like coal. She knew that groups like the Guys in White would not hesitate to do all kinds of unethical and painful tests and experiments on ghosts, especially one like Ember who had caused trouble for the Living many times.

Johnny and Kitty both sighed, not that they needed air, but didn't lose their composure. "If we have to go through them we will, base by base if we have to. Get ahold of your friend and find those files. Then, we go get her." Johnny's Shadow twitched with excitement at the thought of a fight. It had been a few months since the last after all.

With the decision made Jazz pulled out her phone and blazed through her contacts. Pressing call and only having to wait two rings, Jazz started talking immediately, "Hey Tucker I could use a really big favor….."

**Elsewhere**

Technus stared at the machine before him with satisfaction. After several weeks of patient waiting he was now going to be rewarded for his efforts. How foolish everyone had been, all pawns too busy with their own agendas to not realize his inconsistencies and half-truths. For the ignorant factory workers that listened to him when he overshadowed the human 'in charge', to the Guys in White that focused on his tip-offs of the location of others ghosts so as to stay away from the experiment, to his own _partner_ that was so consumed with rage over Danny Phantom he never once second-guessed anything the technology loving ghost did nowadays. So…._easy_.

Doing all of this by himself would have been tedious and carried a bigger risk of failure. That was why he contacted Skulker and filled his mind with lies about a way to kill the halfa the hunter fixated upon so much. A mech suit, much like the one he used, but stronger and built with ten times the durability. Powered by Ember's guitar, upgraded by himself, outfitted with a prototype railgun, and piloted by the hunter. In theory it was a nice combination that most likely _would_ annihilate Phantom and the experiment created when he'd tricked The Creator all those weeks ago.

It was unfortunate that his ultimate goal suited his own needs and had nothing to do with Danny Phantom, taking control of the world, or amassing technology. It was all about _him_.

"I'd wondered if I would have to let myself replenish after our last battle. Yet I've been gifted with the perfect way to strike back at you and claim the victory I fell short of before." Technus spoke to himself, thinking about the being he'd manipulated that helped start this grand scheme. "After tonight….after tonight all the players will be wiped off the board. Then…I will finally kill you brother."

Placing his hand on the machine holding Desiree captive, the ghost stroked it lovingly as if it were a pet he hadn't seen in days. "To think I hadn't thought of something like this before. You are so strong dear Wish Granter, far stronger than any of them could ever hope to be. Your power is your weakness of course, but that is not the issue here."

His eyes glanced at the readouts next to the orb, all reading positive stats and one in particular showing how much energy had been siphoned from the genie ghost. It was at the point he'd been waiting for. "Yes….and now I shall usher in my destiny. Now I will show you brother that the power of Hell can indeed topple the power of the Ghost Zone."

Technus' body glowed red for a moment before being flung violently away, leaving a withered man in its place. Not wasting any time in case his brother sensed him, the being placed his hands upon the machine, the wrinkled skin covered in a red glow, and began to absorb all the energy and power taken from Desiree over the last five weeks. Screaming with glee the man was consumed in a pillar of light that shot through the ceiling and into the night sky, catching the eye of everyone for miles around.

**Sorry about the wait. This time of the year gets busy at work.**


	10. Revealed

**The end is coming very soon.**

"_You didn't just think I was going to go away did you?" -?_

The roof of the building exploded as an intense beam of blue energy burst into the sky. The beam could be seen all over town, many having terrifying memories of when the town was beseeched by an army of skeletal ghosts and partially transported to the Ghost Zone. After that particular incident the police and National Guard had drafted up protocols if such things happened again. While they left the ghost fighting to Danny Phantom and sometimes the Guys in White, something like this prompted immediate action from law enforcement.

Within minutes there were police, SWAT, and National Guard vehicles situated around the various entrances of the building. Just as everyone arrived the blue beam shuddered several times like a pulsing vein before disappearing with a loud hissing noise. Not wasting any time a platoon of soldiers stormed the factory, M16s held at the ready for whatever they might encounter. Traversing the halls didn't take long, as bar one or two paths that split off to other parts of the building, most of them led to the large open space where workers would normally be putting together whatever was being created at the time.

In the center of the room, hooked up to many computers and other machines was a large, armored mech of some kind. It was black in color, around 8 feet in height, and looked quite durable compared to the body armor worn by the soldiers. Although there were no guns with the machine it did have a very large double-edged blade attached to the back of its left forearm. Seeing the mech, or whatever it was, gave the soldiers pause. One in particular actually broke formation for a moment in awe and confusion.

"Is…that a miniature Gundam?"

The Staff Sergeant in charge of their unit shook his head clear before yelling at the Private to get back in formation. The roof of this area was still intact, so it was obvious that whatever they were looking for was somewhere else. However, before they could spread out and search the room for evidence of where the blue beam may have originated, a door that had yet to be inspected was blown out of its frame and painfully bisected a soldier at the waist. The man was dead before his upper half hit the ground.

Turning to the doorway the men and women watched as a figure stepped out from the shadows. It was a man that looked to be in his mid-20s, slightly tanned skin, shoulder-length red hair, and black eyes. He was wearing a tan t-shirt tucked in to tan cargo pants. Upon his feet he wore blue colored tennis shoes with yellow laces. All in all, he looked much like a college student, except for the faint blackish-blue aura around his body that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Without a second thought the soldiers opened fire on the man. Everyone had switched their rifles to burst-fire or full-auto mode, deciding that loss of accuracy was ok so long as they could put as much lead in this thing as possible. However, the man just stood there amused, none of the bullets piercing his body or causing him discomfort. Then the man moved. In the blink of an eye he was next to two soldiers using a large crate as cover. He grabbed one by the face with crushing force and easily ripped the man's head off in a geyser of blood, then backhanded the second man hard enough to break his neck.

Despite this the soldiers didn't order a retreat, instead continuing to fire at the inhuman being. One soldier even grabbed a grenade and tossed it at the man's feet. The being looked down at it, making no attempt to get away. The explosion was deafening in the confines of the room, debris sent flying in all directions, and smoke filling the area. Without giving pause to the battle a wave of black energy shot from the smoke into the woman that threw the grenade. Her life ended harshly when the blade-like attack cut her in half right where her heart rested. The being stepped out from the smoke calmly, still unaffected by anything the Guard soldiers tried. He thrust his hands forward, palms up, where black light began to form on each of his fingertips like off-colored fireflies. With a twirl of his wrists the lights flew off in search of people. It was a seeker-type attack, that when connected would cause an explosion.

Such results happened seconds later along with horrified screams from the humans being killed so callously. The being didn't care in the slightest. "You're all in my way. I have more important things to attend to than to slaughter insignificant bugs." Not giving a second glance to any of the destruction going on around him the being calmly walked through the halls and headed for the exit.

The police outside had heard the explosions, gunfire, and screams all the way outside, such was the intensity of everything. There had to be at least 100 cops of various sorts surrounding the building, with more on the way, as well as word from the Colonel in charge of Amity Park's National Guard that further military reinforcements were being sent. Some of the men wanted to storm the place, with SWAT leading the charge, but those of high rank put a stop to that. Considering that the soldiers whom entered had yet to come back out or make radio contact with them, the police expected the worst.

"I'm seeing movement at the front entrance. Can't make out what it is though." A sniper reported over the radio. His rifle was trained on the glass double-door at the front of the building. A lot of smoke from within obscured most everything within, however, he could see a shadowy figure approach at a calm pace. The police tensed, readying their weapons in case whoever it was proved hostile. The door opened and out stepped the being that had slaughtered the National Guardsmen whom first entered, his clothes and body undamaged in any way save for some soot that stuck to him from being right above a few grenades.

"Freeze! Put your hands behind your head and get down on the ground now!"

The being ignored the humans completely, instead focusing on a figure flying towards his position very fast. He could sense the boy easily and stood motionless, waiting with a hint of a smile. The figure flew over the lines of police and floated ten feet away from the being. Everyone instantly recognized him as Danny Phantom, the ghost that fought other ghosts to protect the town, even if Mayor Masters tried to constantly paint him in a bad light.

"I don't know who you are, but you can either go back to the Ghost Zone or I can send you there with force." Danny normally might have engaged in some playful joke or banter of some kind, but something within him, something almost _primal_, told him this enemy wasn't one to play around with.

The being tilted his head to the right just a fraction, smiling up at Danny. "Is that so? You think I'm a resident of the Ghost Zone? How humorous and oh so narrow-minded of you boy. All this time that I have watched you and the other I actually expected more. It would seem that you perhaps fall short of my standards. Sad really, but it can't be helped I suppose."

Danny's eyes narrowed at the man. He was unsure what his words meant exactly, such as who the 'other' was, and that he apparently wasn't from the Ghost Zone. Danny could feel ectoplasmic energy coming from him however, so he had to be a ghost or at least a halfa like himself, slim as that possibility was. "I don't care where you've come from. You're leaving Amity Park one way or another mister."

"Is that right? Well I'm here, so come and get me boy." The being mocked Danny with that smile once more. Giving him exactly what he wanted, Danny surged towards the man with an ectoplasm-charged fist. Rearing back he struck with all the strength his body could put into a punch, only to have the man catch his fist in his own hand with no effort at all.

"What?" Danny tried yanking his fist out of the man's hand several times to no avail. Thinking quickly the teen turned intangible, but to his complete shock he still couldn't remove his limb from the man's grip. Turning visible again he charged his other fist with ectoplasm and struck the man in the face. Even as strong as he'd hit him, the man's head only turned perhaps three inches to the left. The halfa stared in disbelief when the being turned his head forward again, his black eyes holding Danny's green ones in a trance.

"My turn." The being head-butted Danny with such force the teen was given a concussion in an instant. Danny dropped to his knees in front of the being, vision blurry and world spinning. A kick to his head sent him rolling away with a heavily bruised right arm. Of course his natural healing abilities would kick in, but a concussion was going to take time to fix. Danny didn't know if he could fight in that condition, for as harsh as some of his fights in the past were, he'd never once been concussed. Somehow getting to his feet the teen saw that the man had not moved from his spot, save for turning to face him.

"You thought I was some measly ghost come here to haunt the human world, or perhaps attempt world conquest? Foolish boy, there are more than just the undead that roam the various planes of existence. I am not one of my brother's meager spirits, I am a God. I am the one that rules over Hell. I am the divine being whom punishes the souls of the evil and the wicked. If you so wish to stand against me, I will humor you. Prepare to understand why I was named Dark." The being, Dark, raised his left hand. From his fingers black energy began to gather, much like when he'd killed everyone in the building. Only this time the energy formed into five foot long double-edged blades, as if his fingers had turned into swords. A second later and Dark was next to Danny, arm reared back for a powerful swing. "You'd best give your all boy or you will die this day." With that the God swung.

**You know, reviews would really help to know how people feel about this story**


	11. Heart

**I believe one to two more chapters will bring us to a close.**

"_You brought this upon yourself"-Dark to Gray_

A grey sphere appeared atop a warehouse, pulsating and rotating several times before dissolving. Where before the rooftop was empty, save groups of air conditioners and slanted glass panes, two people now occupied the space. The Creator and Paulina stood facing each other, just as they had when the higher being first began the process of unlocking her mind. They stared at each other for several moments before Paulina fell to her knees, tears pooling in her yellow eyes. Everything came rushing back to her; her life as a human, small snippets of Danny Fenton's life granted by his ghost blood, and images from the blood of the scorpion also used in her creation.

For the first time since her death she was truly herself again, along with the memories of everything she had done since her 'resurrection'. While part of her was heartbroken at all that had taken place, a greater part of her was angry. She wasn't angry at the being across from her, for her gave her a second chance at life, in his own way. No, she was angry at Technus and Skulker for seeking to use her in some pointless scheme against Danny Phantom. Perhaps she would be more shocked about the fact that the Ghost Boy she had such a crush on was actually the dork of Casper High, Danny Fenton. However, right now that wasn't important.

While Paulina was having her internal thoughts sorted, The Creator had turned his attention towards a disturbance in the distance. Frowning, the feeling was one that he had not felt in a long time. "It would seem that I underestimated you brother. I won't make that mistake again." In a flash of light The Creator disappeared, leaving Paulina to recover on her own. The Halfa fell to her knees, taking deep breaths in an attempt to quell what felt like a panic attack coming on. Looking at her hand, her eyes narrowed and with just a smidge of thought she transformed into her Ghost form.

Her form had changed ever-so-slightly due to The Creator's actions. Her back was now free of the large spikes that had before spread all over, her shirt instead covering segmented flesh. Her elbows also sported a spike poking out from her skin. They were nearly a foot long, black, and ended in a deadly point that could no doubt cause some serious damage. The last change was the stinger on her tail. Where before it looked like an arrowhead, now the end of her tail looked like a double-pronged fork. Bladed and with sharp points, the appendage was more formidable looking that ever.

Taking another breath Paulina stood on shaky legs before glancing in the direction that The Creator had before his departure. Something had obviously been important enough to draw his attention away from her, and even though that irritated her, she had to wonder what could do so. He had mentioned a brother, just as he had done before unlocking her memories. If there was someone that could rival him in power, but was going about using that power to oppress, then that seemed reason enough in her mind for the being to leave her.

However, she wondered if there was something she could, or should, do. Without a second thought The Creator had gone after the disturbance. Would she be in the way if she were to go after him and attempt to assist the higher being? Would this brother that The Creator mentioned destroy her? Truly none of that mattered, not really, in light of the fact that there was a chance the being could be part of the reason she had been killed. If for nothing else she wanted more answers, and the desire for revenge was rapidly growing within now that she had access to her memories again.

Growling to herself the hybrid levitated off the roof, keeping her concentration on the thought of staying in the air, and with another thought flew in the direction that her senses told her multiple energy signatures resided. One way or another Paulina was going to get answers and payback, even if it cost her life a second time. Whether it was The Creator or his brother that the Latina would have to fight didn't matter.

**With Danny**

Another slash of blades sent Danny flying away in pain, blood seeping from the marks already inflicted alongside the new ones. For twenty minutes Danny had tried fighting this powerful being that claimed to be the ruler of Hell, but every attack was either countered or completely ignored. With the amount of damaged he'd taken it was a miracle that he had not turned back into his human state. Crashing to the ground and rolling a few times the hero glared angrily at the slowly approaching God, who'd taken to licking green blood from his blades with a smile.

"Such wonderful taste. You were made artificially through an accident that much I know, but your ghost blood tastes so wonderful. Unless I knew the difference I _might_ not be able to tell. Sad really, with such power I thought you would pose some challenge to test out my rejuvenated state. Perhaps next time I decide to fight someone I'll find someone worth their strength." Stopping next to Danny the Hell God looked down at him in disappointment. While a part of him knew from the beginning that Danny would not beat him, he at least expected a stronger resistance from the boy. Having been in such a decrepit state for so long before taking Desiree's essence had essentially left him 'out-of-shape'.

Ah, but he wouldn't be disappointed for much longer. A flash of light and now standing opposite from him was The Creator. "It's been so long Gray, I'd begun to think you'd forgotten about me." His blades dissolved into nothing, the Hell being calmly putting his hands on his hips. "Of course I could never forget what you did to me brother. Of all the conflicts you, sister, and I have had none of us have ever resorted to draining the loser of their power. Such…._cruelty_ is unbecoming of you I think." His lips turned into a smirk, happy to see that his sibling was shocked at the sight of his rejuvenated body.

Gray's eyes narrowed in frustration and disappointment. "Had you not decided to involve the Human Realm then you would not have been punished so. Your multiple genocides, incited just to increase your own power against Light and I, could no longer be accepted. I think you should be happy that I'm the one that punished you instead of Mother. Anything she would have done would _far_ outshine anything I could do."

Now it was Dark's turn to narrow his eyes. "Don't talk to me as if you were doing me a favor. You grew tired of our fighting so you decided to take me out of the equation. Light has no true desire for conflict, while you balance us out. Since I seek enjoyment through battle I do whatever it takes to entertain myself. Have you forgotten that we are _Gods_? Last time I checked we could do whatever we damn well desired!" Dark's eyes were nearly glowing black at this point, showing how truly angry he was. The ruler of Hell took an unneeded breath and pointed at the ruler of the Ghost Zone. "Now that I have drained every last bit of power from the Genie I am more powerful than the last time we fought. Perhaps this time I'll leave _you_ a powerless husk!" Without warning Dark rushed Gray, his black blades appearing once more. Gray pulled back a fist and when the two Gods struck their attacks shattered the sound barrier instantly. Accompanying the boom was a blinding flash of light that forced everyone to look away.

When the light died down and everyone could see once more, they discovered that Dark and Gray had disappeared, leaving a severely injured Danny Phantom alongside a newly arrived Paulina. Danny somehow managed to look up at the other teen, wondering what she was doing here and if perhaps this is where he would meet his end. However, to his shock, Paulina pulled the boy to his feet and situated herself to support his weight enough to get him standing. With but a thought Paulina levitated into the air and flew away towards someone she'd seen on her way here. The police could only look on in confusion and frustration. They were not equipped to deal with these sorts of situations, but because they did not have the proper funding or weapons to fight against ghosts they were always left feeling useless.

It was a most sour taste they had to chew on, and as the senior officers set about having men and women enter the building from which one of the four 'ghosts' had come from, they knew that one way or another they needed help.

**Elsewhere**

Star waited anxiously next to her car for Danny to return. He had been gone for nearly 45 minutes now, and aside from the occasional flashes of light from the direction he'd gone there had been no word of any kind to her. Even when he would temporarily be on the losing side of a fight the couple would communicate with each other to come up with tactics or some such things. This complete blackout worried her deeply, and brought to mind the only two events where Danny had told her he truly thought he was going to die: Pariah Dark and Dan.

If Danny were facing off against something of that caliber then obviously she would do no good. However, she wished she knew at least _something_ about what was going on. She…wait…..something was flying towards her. Pulling out some Fenton-Oculars she gasped when she saw Paulina coming her way with a very injured Danny slung on her shoulder. When the duo touched down moments later Star rushed to her boyfriend's side without a second thought. Several spots on his uniform were gone, revealing burned skin that had blistered and lightly bleeding.

Tears filled her eyes looking at how hurt he was. Yes there had been times in the past when he'd been injured fighting off ghosts, but it had never been this bad. Even when he'd gone up against Dan it had not turned out like this. Seeing movement in the corner of her eye Star watched as Paulina moved a clawed finger above Danny's forehead and lightly tapped it. That was enough to send him out of his Ghost mode, leaving the now human boy in a state just as bad as before.

"Star," The blonde looked up at Paulina. "I swear that I will do what I can to pay back the person that did this to him. I know that…we weren't the best of friends and that our friendship ended rather badly, but I know better now. I will protect you both, even if I have to die a second time." The Latina held out her hand in offering, a determined look on her face that Star had only ever seen when the girl was plotting to be mean to someone in school. Now, however, the expression promised that the Hybrid would stick by her word no matter what.

Slowly Star placed her delicate hand in Paulina's scaled one. Her old friend lightly squeezed for a second before turning around and flying back the way she came. Hoping that Paulina would be alright Star pulled out her cell phone and called Sam. Only two rings passed before the Goth picked up. "Sam, I need you and Tucker to meet me somewhere safe. I've got Danny with me and he's in bad shape." After being told to come to the Manson home since Sam's parents were out of town, Star carefully placed Danny in her car and drove as fast as she could. While they didn't have any miracle cures or things of that nature, Team Phantom did have one or two Fenton inventions that helped to make the healing process on people suffering from Ectoplasmic injuries go smoother. Star prayed that other than what she could see on the outside that Danny was not inflicted with any life-threatening injuries.

**Back with Paulina**

This was the last straw for the Latina. In the past year she had been made poor, homeless, an orphan, dead, a living-dead Hybrid, and a pawn. No more she decided. While she was a bit angry at The Creator for not telling her from the start why she had been brought back to life, and without her full memory, it was obvious that the real culprit was someone or something else. Whatever they were, they were going to pay dearly for the darkness that she had experienced, and if she died in the process at least she would find peace in the next life.

Ignoring the startled and perhaps hostile looks from the numerous police and increasing number of National Guard surrounding the building where she had picked up Danny, the Hybrid landed gently on the pavement in front of the destroyed entrance and calmly waited. She did not know where The Creator was, or his adversary, but she was willing to bet they would return. When they did, she would be ready, and she would strike.


	12. Prediction

**Now we've reached the end my friends. I hope that you have enjoyed this, if not, oh well.**

"_You will be my champion when the time comes."-Unknown to unknown after the event dubbed First Holy Battle_

One day people would look back at this time in history and remember it as the beginning of true chaos. Eventually tired of waiting for the two Gods to return, Paulina turned intangible and joined back up with Danny and Star, informing them of the things that she had learned from Gray. Combined with the knowledge about Dark that Danny learned the trio decided that for now they would bide their time until something could be done.

In a realm between realms, unbeknownst to others eyes, the battle between Dark and Gray had escalated to the point that their very essence was near the point of disintegration. With Dark returned to his former level of power he was able to truly push his brother to the edge, and was handed the same treatment in kind. Unable to best the other they both retreated to their respective realms and prepared for a new war. Many times before the Ghost Zone, Heaven, and Hell had fought of course, it was natural as they all lived by opposing virtues.

This time, however, the two Gods knew things would be different. The living world had been dragged into their conflict, death and destruction spilling out and taking innocents in their fight. When the time came for war, it would be one that would possibly shatter the barrier between realms. It was for this reason that Clockwork informed the ruler of Heaver, Light, about a possible future he'd seen. Where all the realms mixed together with no boundaries.

She was not worried about such a result however. If she was needed in the coming conflict, then she would rise to the task. But a part of the third God in the powerful family, felt that if such an outcome as Clockwork had foreseen came to pass, that their Mother would intervene and harsh punishments would be given. Light had faith that no matter the amount of hopelessness that might come, when the dust settled the universe would be right where it needed to be.

Clockwork could only hope she was right.

**Think of this as an epilogue/snippet. See you again soon perhaps.**


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